The War of Emperium
by Silent Child
Summary: It was made out of pure gold. Its brilliance shone out to the hearts of men and women alike. It was called Emperium...and everyone wanted it.
1. Defend Your Castle

**Summary:** It was made out of pure gold. Its brilliance shone out to the hearts of men and women alike. It was called Emperium...and everyone wanted it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ragnarok Online. :P

**Author's Note:** Another RO fic. :D Sidestory to my main fic, The Ragnarok. Takes place before and during it, with different main characters. You don't really need to read The Ragnarok to undestand this sidestory though.

I also apologize in advance for any strange errors that might have occured when I uploaded this.

Anyways, on with the story! XD

-

**The War of Emperium**

**Chapter One: **Defend Your Castle

**-**

Takii hummed a cheerful tune as he reloaded his bow.

"What are you so happy about?" A brown-haired Wizard asked gruffly.

"Nothing. I just like this song," Takii switched from humming to whistling as he sniped down an incoming intruder from afar.

"You sure sound sadistic, shooting down others while _singing_," Kiet scowled. He cracked his knuckles before preparing for another spell.

"It's my duty," Takii strained his eyes, looking into the vast field from the top of a castle tower. "I just make do with my time."

"Right..._Storm Gust_!" Kiet conjured up a snowstorm, freezing the narrow passageway before them. "You let one slip by."

"Sorry about that," Takii peered down at the frozen figure. An Assassin suddenly appeared beside the intruder and delivered the finishing blow. "Hey, that was my shot!"

"Too slow, pal," The Assassin flashed an "L" for loser before disappearing into the shadows.

"Lysander is always stealing my shots!" Takii whined while Kiet created another Storm Gust.

"Quit whining and help me out!" Kiet kicked Takii's shin irritably.

"Ow! You didn't have to do that!" Takii howled as he jumped around. In the midst of hopping around in pain, Takii stomped on Kiet's foot.

"You little...!"

"_Storm Gust_!"

An unfamiliar voice cut through the air and instantly, ice began to encase Takii's body. His entire body froze over in the middle of his hop, causing him to tip right over the edge of the tower. As he made contact with the ground, the ice imprisoning him shattered. Takii immediately jumped back up to his feet. His hawk-like eyes scanned the scene before him to find the intruder. A small coughing noise alerted Takii and his looked down; he had fallen on the intruder, and she was spluttering from the ice that hit her. Quickly, Takii whipped out a Mute Arrow and slashed it down before her, cutting the girl across the forearm. She opened her mouth to retaliate with a spell but found herself unable to speak.

Takii grinned at his handiwork; he had the upper hand, but to his dismay the joy ended early. The Sniper doubled over in pain when the girl unexpectedly threw a hard punch to his chest.

"_Grimtooth_!" Spikes burst from the ground and hit the High Wizard head on into the wall behind her.

"That's another one you lost to me," Lysander uncloaked himself, smirking. The girl had slumped to the ground, unconscious. "Don't go easy on her just 'cause she's a girl."

"Shut up," Takii groaned, rubbing his chest. "So how many intruders this time?"

"I counted four so far," Lysander pondered a moment before replying. "From that new Oceanic Guild, I believe."

Lysander bent down to inspect the High Wizard's arm. A blue cloth was wrapped around her wrist, brandishing her Guild emblem. "Yep, that's gotta be the Oceanic Guild."

"That should be the last of them," Kiet called from above, as he broke free from his frozen prison. "There are only five members in that Guild. Takii sniped one from afar, so I don't think that one will be coming any time soon."

"Time to bring them to Spades for a little Q and A," Takii returned to his cheerful self, slinging the girl over his shoulder.

"Hey, don't forget the others!" Lysander called to Takii's retreating back. He grumbled curses as he dragged an unconscious Blacksmith and Knight into the castle by himself. "Damn womanizing Takii."

-

A Blacksmith, Knight, High Wizard, and a Priest were seated in the main Council Room, arms and legs all bound tightly. A heavily armored Lord Knight walked into the room, receiving glares from the four prisoners.

"Oceanic, is it?" Spades mused, as he took his seat at the desk before them. "Why did you attack Reprion? We outnumber you by far."

There was silence.

Spades waited a few minutes to let the Guild talk, but the High Wizard of the group only turned her head away in defiance. Her Guildmates followed in her lead, unwilling to cooperate.

"Daxia, Daemyn; please throw these intruders back into their cells," He sighed, putting a hand to his head. "I don't have time for them if they won't talk."

"Yes, sir," A Champion and a High Priest nodded. Both darted forward to herd the prisoners to the dungeons, complying with his orders.

"Takii, find Payon and send him up. I need to talk to him," Spades ordered the Sniper. "Kiet and Lysander, you may go back on guard duty for now."

The three boys nodded and left the Council Room.

"Say, haven't a lot of new and little Guilds been targeting us?" Kiet asked, as they strolled down the halls. "There were at least three attacks this month, but they all retreated before we could capture them for questioning."

"Wow, you can count!" Lysander teased the younger boy.

"Seriously man; what is up with that?" Kiet scowled. "It's not like we're the first castle you see when you enter the Geffen fields."

"Must be 'cause all the ladies are attracted to me," Takii joked.

"Ladies? There was only one girl attacking today," Lysander crushed Takii's joke effortlessly.

"...the others are ladies in disguise?"

"Dream on," Lysander laughed, turning a corner to exit the castle. "I'll be patrolling the back for now, Kiet."

"Alright," Kiet nodded. "Have you seen Teela around?"

"Nope; she might be training with Shishkabob and Reeve, though," Takii stretched his arms as they continued walking down the hall.

"Good. I accidentally cleaned out her white potion stock this morning, and she keeps smacking me with her Tablet when she sees me," Kiet rubbed his head, remembering the pain she had inflicted on him.

"Haha, she's gonna be beating you for awhile," Takii laughed at the 16-year-old.

"I hope Dante will stop her," Kiet prayed, mentioning the leader of his division, Black-Fire.

"Nah; I wanna see the day when a Priestess can beat up a Wizard," Takii grinned.

"Thanks for the comfort," Kiet dryly said. He bid is goodbye before heading up the stairs to one of the watch towers at the entrance of the castle.

Takii continued his journey down the halls on his own, peering into numerous hallways and rooms until he finally caught sight of Payon. He was currently locked in a heated battle of arm wrestling with Blades.

_Thump_!

"And Payon wins again! The score is 5-2 in Payon's favor," Miraka grinned, tabulating their scores.

"Hey kiddies, can I join?" The 17-year-old boy entered the room.

"No way, Takii, you're three years older and three times as strong!" Blades objected, rubbing his sore hand.

"Aw, fine. I guess I'll just annoy Rya, then," Takii took a seat next to a redheaded girl. "How's my favorite little victim doing?"

"I'm doing just fine, Takii," Rya laughed as the older boy ruffled her hair. Takii shared a strong bond with the younger girl, as she was the only other bow-wielding fighter in the Guild besides Vash (who was a Clown). "What are you doing here?"

"Oh right," Takii remembered what his task was. "Payon, Spades wants to talk to you."

"Ah," The leader of the youngest subdivision in the Guild nodded. "I guess I'll see you guys later."

"I'll be waiting for some rematches, ya hear?" Blades called as Payon left the room.

"I'm up for a challenge," Takii grinned, sliding into Payon's seat. "C'mon, I'll even let you use two hands."

"Don't you have guard duties right now?" Miraka interjected.

"They can wait awhile. Kiet and his crew are on duty, and Lysander is too. Reprion's fine without me for now," Takii waved the matter away. "So, what do you say Blades?"

"If I use two hands and lose it'll be very humiliating, so no," Blades laughed.

"Are you _chickeeeeen_?" Takii teased.

"Takii!" Daxia swung open the door, glaring at the youngest member of her division. Takii gulped; even with her sunglasses on, Takii could see the fire burning in his leader's eyes. "I thought I heard your voice. Hurry up and go on duty with Kiet!"

"Okay _mother_," Takii groaned, leaving his younger friends.

"If I was your mother, you wouldn't be so careless. And as for your punishment _my dear son_..." Daxia mockingly began.

"Whaat? Punishment? Just for calling you mother?"

"No; for disregarding your guard duties to play with the kids," Daxia crossed her arms as Takii dragged himself out the door. "You'll be in charge of cleaning up dinner."

After Takii departed, Daxia rounded on Blades, Miraka, and Rya. "And you three should go train in the Guild Dungeon, rather than playing around. The castle may need your help in due time."

The three stared at Daxia as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"So ladies, how does arm wrestling sound to you for training?"

-

Takii leaned over the edge of the guard tower, snapping his bow string in boredom.

"You're going to break your bow like that," Kiet warned. He looked up irritably at the sound the bow was making from his seat on the ground beside him.

"Nothing a little tape can't do," Takii mumbled as he continued snapping his bow string. He squinted as the setting sun shone brightly into his eyes. "This is boring."

"Well you can't expect the enemy to announce themselves with trumpets, red carpets, and a little dance, can you?"

"That would be a nice warning signal."

"Right; and they'll serve you grapes and other delicacies before willingly allowing you to kill them."

"That would be perfect, but Spades told us not to kill them. Even in times of chaos, we have to show mercy."

"Maybe that's why all these new Guilds have been targeting us," Kiet pondered. "Since we don't kill anyone, they're bound to have a chance of taking over. And besides, we only got dragged into this war because we have a castle for our base. We're supposed to be a mere bounty hunting Guild, not some Guild hungry for Emperium!"

"Everyone picks on the nice ones," Takii sighed. "At least Geffen is more peaceful. Everyone else is mostly targeting Prontera and Al de Baran's castles."

"Too true. For a war zone, we're rather peaceful," Kiet laughed at the strange thought.

"Should we go back yet? We've been here for hours, and it's almost nightfall," Takii shifted from his position on the wall.

"I guess...we can tag the night watch a bit earlier," Kiet agreed as he stood up, stretching.

"Wait, someone's coming," Takii scanned into the distance with his hawk-like eyes.

"Damn, just when I got into lazy mode," Kiet groaned.

Takii and Kiet ducked just below the tower walls, peeking overtop to observe the incoming group. There were four, all female.

"See, I told you I attracted ladies," Takii grinned in triumph. Kiet rolled his eyes at him.

Takii pulled back his bow in defense as the four figures drew closer. With the little sunlight left, he could just make out their facial features, revealing them to be none other than –

"Teela! Hey, don't shoot you dumb ass," Kiet smacked Takii's arm up.

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to shoot them?" Takii asked, as he lowered his bow in the other direction. However, his finger slipped and the arrow rocketed through the air, crashing through a window in their castle.

"...I think you're stupid enough to do that."

"Hey Takii, Kiet," Shishkabob, an Acolyte accompanying Teela, greeted the two at the tower.

"Hello," Reeve, another Acolyte, greeted the boys.

"Hey, you said they were all female!" Kiet hissed once he recognized his teammate. "Reeve's a guy!"

"Shut up, he looks like a girl!" Takii hissed back. He recalled his first time meeting with Reeve; he had mistaken him as Teela's sister.

"Fooling around?" Kaori, a Paladin escorting the three healers, mused, having witnessed Takii's mistake.

"Hello Takii," Teela greeted the Sniper but didn't bother to address the Wizard. Without remorse, she tread past the tower and into the castle.

"You should buy her a new supply of white potions, you know," Kaori said, watching Kiet sulk from Teela's cold shoulder. Shishkabob and Reeve excused themselves to follow Teela.

"Why would a Priestess need white potions when she can heal people?" Kiet asked.

"She's in charge of the team emergency stock, don't you remember?" Kaori answered. "I don't mind so much since I've got my own stash, but Teela had to use her own zeny to buy everything back. Anyways, see you guys inside."

"Shit, I forgot. I don't have that much money either," Kiet groaned, repeatedly hitting his head on the tower walls.

"How much did you use anyways?"

"I ran into her drawer and broke two hundred of them."

"...good luck, buddy."

-

"TAKII!"

The redhead cringed as he heard his name reach his ears.

"Well, it was nice knowing you," Kiet gave a pat on his shoulder before running off, leaving Takii on his own to face a steaming Daxia.

"You broke a window _and_ you ruined my book!" Daxia waved a book with an arrow stuck through it in front of Takii's frightened eyes. "Young man, this calls for further punishment for your reckless behavior!"

"But I'm already cleaning up dinner, and that's a bitch," Takii groaned. All the Guild members were currently residing in the castle and it was a hassle to clean plates for so many.

"You'll go _without_ dinner, and you'll be entertaining our prisoners tonight," Daxia ordered, ignoring Takii's protests.

"I like entertainment."

"...just go."

Takii trudged past Daxia to head for the prison cells.

"And don't forget to pick up their food!"

Takii's stomach growled as he balanced four trays of food in his arms. He walked slowly and steadily down the steps into the lower levels of the castles. The air began to cool once he neared the prison cells. Takii shivered on impulse; he hated the dungeons. He felt unsafe, as a spell had been cast over the prison cells, disabling anyone from performing any spells or tricks. Even the Wings Armada members had to rely on their physical strength alone, and Takii particularly hated it if a Knight was being held prisoner. They always bested him in strength. The prison cells were also completely uninviting; Takii had often suggested on redecorating it and turning the furnace up, but his request was frequently overlooked.

"Food for you, food for you, food for you," Takii slipped a tray underneath a small slot underneath each prison door.

"And food for you," Takii said, as he delivered the last tray of food. It was the High Wizard he had first encountered, and she seemed to be the leader of the group. "So, what's your name?"

The blonde girl merely glared at the boy, refusing to touch her food.

"It's not poisoned. And you know, the faster you talk, the faster you'll get out of here," Takii pushed the tray further into the cell.

The High Wizard pushed the food back towards him.

"Eat something," Takii persisted, pushing the tray back.

"...I don't want any," The girl finally spoke up. Takii was a little shocked; from the way the girl was glaring, he expected her voice to be rough and dripping with hate. Instead, the girl's voice was rather collected and sweet.

"Then you won't mind me eating some?" Takii took a slice of bread from the tray. "Daxia wouldn't let me eat dinner."

The girl remained still, but curiously watched Takii eat the bread in silence. "You know you want to eat some. I hear your stomach growling."

Silence.

"At least drink the soup. It's warm," Takii urged. The girl finally gave in and took his offer.

"...did you make it?" The girl suddenly asked.

Takii laughed. "As if. I can barely make a pizza without burning it."

She stifled a laugh. "I knew it. I have yet to meet a boy who can cook well."

"Is that a challenge?" The Sniper grinned. "Just you wait. I'll make you the best pizza you've ever had."

"By that time, I'll be long gone from this dinky prison cell."

"Why did you attack us anyways?" Takii questioned, as the girl finished her soup.

"None of your business," She suddenly snapped. Her once demure air turned into a dangerously angry once.

"C'mon, you can –"

The girl plunged her arm through the prison cell bars and pulled Takii by the collar of his shirt, pressing him to the bars. "Tell you anything? What are you trying to do, soften me up? Cause it won't work; I'm here to take this castle by any means."

The girl shoved him back and kicked the tray of half finished food back to him. "You'd better watch your back if you want to keep this castle."

Takii rose, dusting himself off.

"Thanks for the warning," He remarked dryly, as he picked up the unfinished tray. He walked towards the exit, and picked up the other trays of her comrades. Unlike hers, they were finished.

-

"That girl is infuriating!" Takii threw the trays into the kitchen sink. "All I ask is why she attacked us, and she gets all riled up! Girls are complicated!"

"I concur," Kiet agreed, sporting a black eye.

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

"I tried to apologize to Teela again, but this is what I got," Kiet nursed his sore eye. "I can't find Shishkabob or Reeve anywhere to heal it."

"Help me clean the dishes and I'll help you look for them," Takii bargained.

"Hell no, I'll just go look around the castle again," Kiet backed away from the towering stack of dishes in the sink.

"Some friend you are!" Takii hollered as Kiet abandoned him yet again. He sighed as he turned to face the dirty dishes. It was going to be a long night.


	2. Step by Step

**Summary:** It was made out of pure gold. Its brilliance shone out to the hearts of men and women alike. It was called Emperium...and everyone wanted it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ragnarok Online. :P

**-**

**The War of Emperium**

**Chapter Two:** Step by Step

**-**

Three nights had passed and Daxia had set Takii in charge of giving the prisoners their meals. Morning, afternoon, and night, the High Wizard girl would refuse her food and kick it back at Takii. Her teammates, on the other hand, ate their food respectfully, and expressed concerns on how she needed to eat.

"I don't need food," She snapped at the Blacksmith in her Guild, who tried to coax her into eating.

"Okay lady, you're wasting perfectly good food here," Takii twitched, on the verge of exploding. "If you really want to take over this castle, then you'll _need_ food to _live_. Ever heard of that method?"

"Well I don't need your help!" She stubbornly retorted.

"That's it!"

Takii grabbed the keys he had been entrusted with, opened her cell door, and dumped a bowl of soup over the High Wizard's head. Just as quickly, he slammed the cell door shut, leaving the girl utterly stunned.

"Why you –"

Takii stuck his tongue out childishly at her and ran off to the exit.

-

"Kiet, I'm so screwed."

"What?"

Takii stood motionlessly atop the guard tower, all color drained from his face. "I dumped a bowl of soup over that High Wizard's head. She's going to murder me in cold blood if I ever go back."

"She had it coming," Kiet shrugged. "Besides, she can't hurt you without her spells."

"I'm scared," Takii squeaked, imagining the girl roasting him over a bonfire.

"Takii, this is so unlike you; do you need a new brain?" Kiet smacked Takii over the head, as if trying to smack some sense into him. "You're getting scared of a single girl who is locked in a prison cell, and hasn't eaten for four days. Meaning she's pretty damn weak right now."

"Maybe I should apologize," Takii looked to the skies for inspiration, completely ignoring Kiet.

"Grow some balls, man..."

"Yeah, I should apologize."

"..."

Time flew by quickly and nightfall crept in. Takii gulped as he slowly took baby steps to meet his doom.

"The food has arrived," Takii forced a jolly voice out of his mouth, as he delivered dinner to the prisoners. Soon, he only held one tray in his hands: the one he had to deliver to the High Wizard.

"Hello," Takii stiffly smiled and waved at the girl. She looked up, eyes reflecting death. "Dinner's ready."

He slipped the tray into the slot, and jumped back immediately. But to his surprise, the girl meekly retrieved the tray, and began to eat.

"So you decided to eat?"

No answer.

"Hey, I'm sorry about the soup thing, but you were being way too stubborn. Why can't you tell us why you attacked us?"

"Because I want to win back this castle," The girl said between mouthfuls of food.

"'Win back'? You had it before?"

"This castle belonged to my grandfather. He recently passed away."

"Wait, when we took over this castle, it was overrun by monsters. We had to chase them out ourselves; there was no human presence here!"

"What are you trying to pull? You trespassers took the castle from my grandfather, so I'm going to be the one who reclaims what originally belongs to my family," The girl glared daggers at the Sniper before returning her attention to her dinner. "Reprion was important to my grandfather, and I'm not going to let you take that away from him!"

Takii fell silent.

"So you see why I –"

"No, I think you're stupid."

"What?" The girl's eyes snapped up to meet Takii's.

"We claimed this castle fair and square. It may have belonged to your grandfather, but we were the ones who chased away the monsters inhabiting this place. We didn't chase away your grandfather. If anything, you could have just asked for an alliance with us, instead of trying to pick on someone far bigger than you," Takii walked towards the prison cell bars, closing the distance between the two. "You could've explained how your grandfather originally owned the castle, and we might've let you share this place with us."

It was the girl's turn to fall silent.

"I'll get you some water so you can wash the soup out of your hair," Takii said, as he walked towards the exit.

-

"I cleared it up with that High Wiz," Takii announced to Kiet, as he rummaged around the castle for a spare bucket.

"Really? Why'd she attack us, then?"

"Some stupid thing about her grandpa owning the castle before us; how she thinks we're intruders, and blah, blah, crap," Takii explained. "Whoo! Found a bucket."

"That's kinda...strange. There were only monsters around when we took over," Kiet scratched his head, puzzled.

"Exactly; it doesn't make sense, yet she's trying to be all righteous by taking Reprion 'back'," Takii filled the bucket to the brim with water.

"And what are you going to do with all that water?"

"I'm going to water the flowers so they'll grow up all nice and pretty to distract intruders."

"Forget I asked."

"I'm just going to give her some water to wash the soup from her hair," Takii explained, heading for the prison again. He walked back to the girl's cell, and saw her staring blankly at the walls.

"Here's your water," Takii carefully opened the cell and gently pushed the bucket inside, as well as a towel he had picked up along the way. "...you okay?"

"I'm fine," The girl answered. "...I'd like to negotiate an alliance, if that is still possible."

"Aha, so you've finally considered the more sensible solution," Takii grinned.

"Don't think that this means we're on good terms," She glowered.

"Fine, whatever. So, what's your name?" Takii asked the same question he had asked five nights ago.

"...Miranda," The blonde answered after a pause.

"I'm Takii; I'll tell Spades, our leader, that you're willing to talk now," Takii notified cheerfully before he exited the prison. And for once, he was genuinely eager to return.

-

Everyone was surprised to see Miranda and her Guild casually walking down the halls of Reprion. Daxia looked upset as she held a conversation with her brother Daemyn, watching their once-attackers brush by them. But with Takii, it was a different story; he seemed to accept the fact with open arms.

"I take it all is well?" Takii grinned, joining Oceanic's little stroll.

"Didn't I tell you? Don't think that this means we're on good terms. I don't want to see you," Miranda snapped. "You might as well have killed our teammate; you poured soup on my head; you are an annoyance; and don't forget _you stole this castle from my grandfather_."

"Again with that B.S.," Takii sighed. "I told you, we –"

"_I don't want to see you especially_," Miranda icily said, shoving Takii against a wall. For a High Wizard, she was rather physically strong. "My Guild is going to search for our missing teammate. After that, we will return to stay in this castle. I will be expecting no further trouble from you, mister."

"It's _Takii_!" The Sniper called out in irritation. Miranda paid no heed and exited down the hall, cape billowing behind her.

"Wow, she really hates you," Rya commented, joining Takii. She had witnessed the event from afar.

"What did you do, look up her skirt or something?" Skoo asked, popping up beside Rya.

"All I did was dump soup on her," Takii griped and he began to walk with the two. "But if she's this angry, I should've looked up her skirt! Then it would be fair!"

"Are you imagining what color it would be, you perv?" Skoo grinned fiendishly, elbowing Takii in the stomach.

"Skoo!" Rya scolded.

"Pink suits her," Takii answered without hesitation.

"...boys and their strange logic," Rya sighed, putting a hand to her head.

"Okay kiddies, bed time! I'll tuck my favorite little girl and boy in tonight," Takii announced in a singsong voice, sweeping up both Rya and Skoo. He began spinning in circles, singing loudly, as he traveled down the hall.

"♫ Raindrops, lollipops and, rainbows ♪ –"

"Takii," The all too familiar strict voice of Daxia reached the Sniper's ears. "You're disturbing everyone."

"But Skoo and Rya love me! Right?" Takii shook the two, who were both dazed from all the spinning.

"Going to bucket; need barf," Skoo mumbled incoherently.

"Ears bleeding from Takii's singing," Rya added, still dizzy.

"Some help you guys are," Takii grumbled as Daxia tapped her foot impatiently.

"Just get them to bed. You too; you've had a rough day," Daxia turned and walked to her quarters.

"Oh, um...ah, thanks Daxia," Takii snapped out his surprised state after finding his voice; his normally stern leader had actually shown him some mercy for once.

"And as for _you_ guys," Takii's lips curved upwards devilishly, turning on the two younger teens. "So, brother Takii makes you want to puke? Makes your ears bleed?"

"Ah, we're just joking," Skoo nervously laughed, noticing pure evil radiating from Takii's eyes. Rya nodded vigorously in agreement. The evil glint in Takii's eyes shone even brighter once the trio neared Skoo's room. Takii reached the door and threw Skoo headfirst right through it.

"Ahhh! Skoo! What the hell! THE SPLINTERS! THE SPLINTERS!!!"

"Ow, get off me, you're heavy!"

Takii gave a look of satisfaction before he continued on, his smile growing as Skoo's roommates, Evol and Blades, screamed in agony.

"Er, Takii? You okay?" Rya asked, as the grinning Takii carried her towards her room. Just as he did to Skoo, Takii swung Rya at the door. However, unlike Skoo, Rya latched onto his arm. Takii noticed that the door didn't break down and looked up to see that Rya was hanging on for dear life by her arms.

"Haha, Rya, you're like a little monkey," Takii laughed, making Rya puff up her cheeks in irritation. "Aww, how cute. I could never stay mad at you guys."

Takii patted the shorter girl on the head. But a sudden image of Miranda and her relentless death stare blew Takii's anger meter off the scale. Instead of the gentle pat he had given, he accidentally unleashed an angry karate chop over Rya's innocent head.

"What's with all the ruckus?" Miraka, Rya's roommate, opened the door in annoyance.

"Er..."

Rya rubbed her head in pain as Takii sheepishly smiled. "Sorry about that, Rya. It's just that...that _girl_ is so infuriating. You'd better get some sleep now; I'll check up on you in the morning."

As Takii left, still fuming, Miraka helped Rya into the room. "Che, he's all messed up in the head 'cause of that Oceanic Guild."

"Ah...I wonder why that girl hates him so much," Rya wondered. Shishkabob rushed to her side to look over a minor bump on her head.

"And I wonder why Spades formed an alliance with them so easily," Miraka added, sitting down on her bed.

"He'll probably tell us in tomorrow's meeting. Let's just get some rest for now," Shishkabob suggested, as she finished applying herbs to Rya's head. Both girls nodded, anxious for the next day to arrive.

-

"As you may or may not know, we now have an alliance with the newly formed Oceanic Guild."

Objections and approvals rippled through the Wings Armada Guild as they held their weekly meeting.

"I know it's very sudden, but they were very persistent. They also prove to be rather strong for such a small Guild," Spades explained to his subordinates. "They are currently out searching for their wounded teammate. However, they will return to reside in the castle alongside us to tighten the security."

"They just want to take over the castle!" Takii exclaimed from his seat irritably.

"Takii, please," Spades frowned. "I have discussed this with your division leaders, and they have all agreed that this was the appropriate solution. We ourselves are not a very large Guild, and we will need more firepower in the future. The attacks on Reprion have been steadily rising over the past months. There needs to be more castle defenders if we want to continue our actual jobs as bounty hunters."

Takii huffed, defeated, crossing his arms over his chest. Thoughts of Miranda and her ungrateful nature towards him was continuously rousing his anger. He didn't want to cross paths with her again.

"Also, there are rumors of Legion Oscura planning to invade Geffen," Spades informed.

"Legion Oscura? Don't they have something like...a hundred or more members?" Kiet asked.

"Yes. They currently hold two castles in Prontera, one in Payon, and one in Al de Baran. They do not own any Geffen castles, so I suppose that is why they plan to invade. They are currently one of, if not the, most powerful Guild in Rune-Midgard. Retention is coming in later this afternoon to discuss alliances; they hold one of Reprion's neighboring castles, including one in Al de Baran. If all goes well, we unfortunately will need to send one of our divisions to their Al de Baran castle, as it is a fairly large castle to defend."

Takii immediately shot up his hand to volunteer.

"Regrettably for you, Takii, you and the Ignition division must stay in Reprion, along with the Ownage Crew. Ignition, you are our strongest force, and the Ownage Crew is still in training. Retention is currently in the middle of recruiting new members, and cannot send in any of their division to our aid until they have finished. In conclusion, either Black-Fire or Continuum has to offer their services."

"Which castle do they own in Al de Baran?" Boaz asked, the leader of Continuum.

"They own Hohensyubangawoo."

A snicker arose from the Ownage Crew, Takii, and Kiet, at the unusual name. Boaz turned to frown disapprovingly from his seat upfront.

"I've heard that the castle has very good sniping spots for Wizards," Boaz continued. His division was made up mainly of Mages, Wizards and High Wizards. "My team will go if Retention forms an alliance with us."

"Do you have any objections, Black-Fire?" Spades asked the remaining division of the Guild.

"No; we will stay in Reprion," Dante announced. Takii and Kiet exchanged a quick high-five: the two best friends were allowed to stay in Reprion together.

"Then the meeting is adjourned. Black-Fire will continue their guard duties today, in addition to Continuum. Ignition, you are to train the Ownage Crew for now. They will be joining you in guard duties if Continuum needs to leave."

"It's training time, training time! Training time, Rya!" Takii swept up his apprentice gleefully. "You too, Skoo; get over here!"

"I still don't get why you train a Blacksmith," Kiet murmured, as he made his way to go on guard duty.

"Hey, don't look down on me 'cause I'm not Blacksmith! Besides, Skoo's awesome!"

The real reason was because there was no other Blacksmith in the Guild to train Skoo, so Takii offered to take up the task instead. It seemed that the strange pair would not work out, but in the end, their training together went fairly well.

"Damn right," Skoo grinned. "But...don't pick me up Takii. You might just throw me through another door."

"It'll be a wall next time."

"We'll be having a team training today," Daxia cut through Takii's fun with his two trainees.

"Team training?"

"Yes, it will be the Daemyn and the Knights versus everyone else," Kane spoke up.

"But bro," Takii whined. "That's not fair!"

"Three young Swordsmen and a Knight, a Lord Knight, a blind Crusader, and a High Priest; I think that's rather fair," Kane smiled at his younger brother. Although he was the leader of the subdivision, he often let Daxia take charge of situations, as he held numerous vital meetings with Spades. At first glance, it would seem that the fact that Kane was blind led to Daxia being his replacement, but the Crusader proved to be quite capable even without his sight.

"Daemyn kicks too much ass!"

"Let's see the odds...you have a Champion, Sniper, Assassin Cross, Hunter, Thief, Acolyte, Blacksmith, and Wizard. You've got plenty of offensive strategies," Kane laughed. "Use your brain, you still have one you know."

"Hey!"

"Anyways," Daxia cleared her throat. "As I said, it's team training. We'll go separate routes to see who can kill the most monsters in the Guild Dungeon. If the teams are to cross paths, it is permitted to try to stop or slow down each other. However, you must _not_ use life-threatening attacks, or your team is automatically disqualified. Takii and Rya, if you're to use Mute Arrows on others, make sure to merely scratch their skin, not shoot right through them."

"Yes mother," Takii saluted, making Rya salute alongside him.

"We'll give the Knights a little head start, since we outnumber them by one," Daxia said with a slight smile on her face. "We'll meet at the Switch in fifteen minutes; that should give everyone enough time to prepare."

-

"Immaterial arrows?"

"Check."

"Oridecon arrows?"

"Check."

"Mute arrows?"

"Check."

"Flame arrows?"

"Check."

"Alright, that should be good enough," Takii grinned, swinging his knapsack and arrow case over his shoulder. "If you spot Daemyn, make sure to nail him with a Mute arrow. That'll slow their team down by a whole lot."

"Got it," Rya nodded.

"Skoo, you carrying extra zeny with you for your Mammonite?" Takii asked.

"Yep, but if I run out, you're supplying me," Skoo gave Takii a thumbs up.

"Che, I'm not that rich. Don't forget about Hammer Fall if you see Payon and them," Takii reminded.

"No worries, Takii, I don't forget my own skills."

"Really? I thought I might've killed a couple hundred brain cells when I threw you through that door."

"You just lodged some splinters in my butt."

"Yeah, Skoo's skull is too thick for you to do any real damage," Rya teased.

"You mean his butt," Takii corrected with a laugh.

"Okay kids, settle down," Daxia directed, as the crowd at the Switch grew larger. "Let the training begin!"


	3. Waiting Game

**Summary:** It was made out of pure gold. Its brilliance shone out to the hearts of men and women alike. It was called Emperium...and everyone wanted it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ragnarok Online. :P

**Author's Note:** Minor changes to the rules of Ragnarok (I gave Thieves the Cloaking ability).

**-**

**The War of Emperium**

**Chapter Three: **Waiting Game

**-**

Takii slumped over the castle walls, his back aching. Two days ago during their team training, Zero and Blades had teamed up on the redheaded Sniper. Blades because of his resentment towards Takii for breaking down his door using Skoo, and Zero...well, Zero, Lysander, and Takii shared an odd rivalry, and it was no surprise that Zero picked on his two Ignition comrades. While Blades distracted Takii, Zero managed to throw a hard punch at his back, sending him flying (Takii even crushed Blades underneath him in the process). The next day after their training, he was still sore. It didn't help that Zero beat him up even further when the two crossed paths. Zero had been in a furious mood after losing to Lysander in a duel. Lysander now had a score of 108 wins and 106 losses with Zero.

"Er, you okay, Takii?" Evol, the Ownage Crew's Wizard, asked.

"My aching back," Takii groaned. "I'm going to kill Zero when I get off duty."

After bidding farewell to one of their divisions, Continuum, early in the morning, half of the Ownage Crew was then set in place to train with the Ignition division. Black-Fire was set for guard duty during nighttime with the remaining half of the Ownage Crew.

Takii continued moping around, with Evol beside him, watching the entrance. It simply wasn't the same without Kiet around. Kiet was probably having his relaxation time before pairing off with Rya during the night shift.

"Takii, pay attention; anyone can slip under you like that," A voice called irritably from below.

"I know, I know."

Lysander was currently patrolling the entrance with Miraka, both cloaking for the element of surprise. Zero was with Paroid, guarding the main doors, while Daxia was with Payon, guarding the back of the castle. Spades, Kane, and a few others were at Retention headquarters, discussing their alliance and plans. The remaining members of the Guild were roaming the castle freely, but with watchfulness, in case of a sudden attack.

"C'mon, c'mon, hurry up..."

Takii looked to Evol, thinking he was talking to him. But instead, he found a squirming Evol glaring intently at the setting sun. "Oh sweet, we're almost off duty, and there hasn't been an attack all day!"

"Shh! You might jinx it!" Evol warned.

"S'ok, man, we can take them," Takii grinned, flexing his biceps. "Why don't you go and tag Kiet? I'll hang around a bit more."

"Thanks, Takii," Evol nodded gratefully and ran off in a hurry. "I really need to pee!"

At the mention of urine, Takii suddenly thought of rerouting the pipes of the castle washrooms to the entrance of the castle as a primary defense. A lopsided smile formed on Takii's face: Project Projectile Waste, he called it, and he planned to mention it to Spades during their next meeting. As he thought out the details of his spontaneously ingenious idea, both Kiet and Rya arrived at the first guard tower.

"Alrighty, I'm going off duty then," Takii gave a pat on the back to both his friends. "Kiet, you'd better protect Rya! If not, _I'm_ going to kick your ass."

"Point taken," Kiet laughed, watching Takii throw a few punches in the air before exiting the tower. "Man, he's so protective over you."

"Skoo too," Rya pointed out. "We're his students after all."

"Yeah, but he's more likely to join in with whoever's kicking Skoo's ass..."

Rya laughed. "So, is there a particular spot I should be sniping from?"

"Oh right," Kiet seemed to remember, with disappointment, that they weren't supposed to be chatting away idly while watching a beautiful sunset. He pointed to a spot on the tower. "That's Takii's usual sniping spot. The angle gives you a pretty good view outside the castle."

"Ohh, nice!"

"Yep, but you gotta tell me right away if intruders come. Usually I just concentrate down there," Kiet pointed below them, "and freeze the intruders that Takii miss. But since it's your first time, you might need some backup."

"Alright," Rya nodded.

"Faye is also patrolling below us, so you don't have to worry too much," Kiet informed. "Vash is at the second guard tower behind us if anyone gets past the both of us."

"Thanks, I feel a lot less tense now," Rya laughed sheepishly.

"No problem," Kiet said. "Hmm, have you ever thought about renting a falcon? They're really useful, and especially for detecting cloakers. Takii is going out tomorrow to get his falcon back, since it was injured last week. You should go with him."

"Ah, I guess I should. Takii's been bothering me about that for awhile."

Hours flew by, and darkness had fully engulfed the skies. Rya strained her eyes to see past the dimly lit entrance for incoming intruders.

"Here," Kiet held out a glass bottle to Rya. "A Concentration Potion; it might help you out a bit."

"Thanks," Rya accepted the potion gratefully. "Say...were you the one who broke all of Teela's potions?"

Kiet groaned. "Does _everyone_ know that?"

"Shishkabob told me after she healed your black eye," Rya couldn't help but let out a snicker.

"Ah, the black eye...Teela sure is scary when she's mad," Kiet shuddered, recalling the beating the angry Priestess had given him. "She –"

"Wait!" Rya hushed Kiet, as she ducked below the tower walls. Kiet quickly followed suit. Both peeked overtop the walls to observe the quiet scene below them. A shadowy figure slowly walked towards the entrance, pressed up against the castle walls. After raising his arms, a red flame began to swirl around him.

"_Wizard! He's using Sight_!" Kiet signaled with his hands.

"Shit, he's going to detect Faye," Rya cursed under her breath. She hastily loaded her bow with a Mute Arrow and took aim at the figure. _Twang_! A flinch from the figure told Rya that she had hit her target. The Wizard stopped in his tracks, realizing that he couldn't perform anymore spells.

"There must be more guys behind him..." Rya reloaded her bow with another Mute arrow. "We gotta flush them out!"

"_Grimtooth_!"

Spikes shot up from the ground towards the silenced Wizard: Faye had begun the attack.

"_Storm Gust_!" Kiet quickly summoned a storm to aid Faye, freezing the enemy Wizard in mid-step. As the ice cracked, the Wizard slid to the ground, unconscious. "That ought to flu – DUCK!"

Kiet tackled Rya over as a spear collided violently with the tower walls. Kiet quickly stood up and raised his hand, "_Storm G–_"

"_Spear Boomerang_!"

The Lord Knight spoke his incantation much more quickly. The same spear flew wildly at Kiet, knocking him over.

"Kiet!" Rya exclaimed. She discarded her Mute arrow and loaded her bow with two Oridecon arrows, and jumped up, yelling out, "_Double Str_–"

"_Spear Boomerang_!"

Kiet pulled Rya down by her arm just in time. The whirling spear flew over their heads, landing harmlessly beside the two.

"Shit, that was close," Kiet grimaced, clutching his bleeding head. "Least he can't do that again."

"_Grimtooth_! _Grimtooth_!" Faye cried out desperately; she had been left to fight the Lord Knight by herself.

"_Double Strafe_!" Rya stood right back up and shot the arrows at the Lord Knight's Peco Peco. The Peco Peco cried out in pain and threw its rider off. It gave Faye the chance to send another Grimtooth flying at the Lord Knight, while Rya quickly pinned him down with a few more arrows.

"Here," Rya applied a few white herbs to Kiet's wound before giving him a handful of white potions to fully recover.

"Thanks Rya," Kiet groaned, downing the healing potions. Freshly recovered, Kiet stood up and finally executed his spell. "_Storm Gust_!"

The Lord Knight and his Peco Peco both became encased in ice, Kiet's storm roaring to life.

"What? That's it? A Wiz and a L.K.?" Kiet looked suspiciously in the distance, as Reprion suddenly fell quiet. Faye uncloaked herself, bending down to look for the Lord Knight's Guild emblem. Her eyes widened when she saw it; and with her loudest voice, she screamed, "Oscura! Oscura is attacking!"

"_Meteor Storm_!"

The sky began to rain lethal chunks of rocks in an instant. Kiet dove to shield Rya with his own body as meteors crashed down on the tower; a second Wizard!

"Shit, Takii's going to kill me," Kiet managed to smile regretfully before he fell on top of Rya, unconscious after the storm lifted. Rya's eyes widened in horror. "KIET!"

-

"What's with all the noise?" Takii groaned, waking up and finding himself in a messy heap on the floor. His roommates were scurrying across the room uttering loud curses, and someone had kicked him off his comfortable bed. Takii rubbed his sore side (where he was kicked) but seemed to feel no pain, as his body begged for more rest.

"Get up you lazy bastard! Oscura is attacking us!" Zero smacked Takii over the head while he suited up in a rush.

"What?!"

"I'm going first!" Lysander quickly bolted from their room after cloaking himself.

Takii slapped on his uniform and grabbed his bow and arrows from his desk. Zero had left seconds after Lysander, leaving Takii on his own. After he was geared up, Takii scrambled to the closest tower by his room.

"Vash!"

Vash was slumped on the ground, clutching his bleeding head.

"Damn it!" The blonde exclaimed angrily, while Takii quickly gave him a handful of white potions. "Those bastards don't have Archers with them, but their damn Lord Knights! They _Spear Boomeranged_ me from the ground!"

"Did they all get past you?" Takii questioned.

"There were about six that got past, but there's still a handful by the entrance."

Takii quickly leaned over the second tower's walls. At the first tower, he saw Rya, injured, but still doing her best to distract the intruders. Faye was lying unconscious by the sidelines, with an out cold enemy Lord Knight and Wizard near her. Kiet was nowhere in sight. Another Wizard, Lord Knight, and a Priest were trying to flush Rya out from the towers.

"_DOUBLE STRAFE_!" Takii angrily let loose two Mute arrows at the Wizard, just as she was chanting up another spell. The Wizard cried out soundlessly in pain as the two silencing arrows pierced right through her arm.

"_Spear Boomerang_!"

Takii held his ground and timed himself just right; he waited for the absolute last second before he grabbed onto the incoming spear. The sheer force of the speeding weapon tore up his hands a great deal, and even knocked him right over. However, he had managed to cling on to the Lord Knight's weapon.

"YAAAAAH!" With a fierce yell, Takii jumped down from the second tower, slamming the spear on the Wizard below him, knocking her out in one blow. Quickly, he turned, and managed to trip the Peco Peco the Lord Knight was riding on. The Lord Knight fell, but swiftly got back on his feet.

"_Double Strafe_!"

Rya sent down two arrows, pinning the Lord Knight's cape down the moment he was about to attack Takii with his fists. Takii grabbed a Mute arrow from his arrow case and cut the Priest across the cheek, preventing him from healing his comrades. However, the Priest merely smirked, sending a punch hurtling at his face. _Bam_! Takii crashed into the wall behind him.

_A __Battle__ Priest_! Takii cursed, wiping the blood from his mouth. The Priest sent another punch at him, but Takii ducked just in time. The Sniper retaliated by punching the Priest in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. But the Lord Knight that Takii was previously fighting slammed his metal-plated fist at the side of Takii's head, knocking him to the ground. The Lord Knight wrenched his spear from Takii's bloodied hands, and yelled out, "_Spear Boomerang_!"

He hurled the spear at Rya in the tower above him. The Hunter quickly ducked, but the weakened tower walls crumbled and the spear crashed through it, striking Rya head on. The Lord Knight turned to focus his attention on Takii again. He picked him up by the collar, raising his fist. Takii clenched his teeth together, his head pounding in pain.

"_Storm Gust_!"

The air around Takii chilled as a storm roared to life and pummeled his opponent. The Sniper dropped to the ground, released from the Lord Knight who had become a statue of pure ice.

"_Vulcan Arrow_!"

A barrage of arrows pinned the surprised Priest to the wall. Takii clutched his head in agony; his mind was still swimming. What was going on? Reinforcements from outside? Another Guild attacking?

"Hmph. If you can't protect Reprion from them, then how can you stop us from taking over?"

Takii raised his head and squinted at the approaching figure. The High Wizard smirked, offering a hand to help up the injured Sniper.

"Miranda?"

"Koreth; heal him and the Assassin," Miranda called her High Priest.

"Wasn't that guy just a Priest before?" Takii groggily questioned. Koreth quickly cast a healing spell on him. The rhythmic pounding in his head and hands had stopped, and his aching body was relieved of its prior injuries.

"My team applied for their next job classes; that's why we're late," Miranda simply replied, as she squinted into the distance. "Looks like you're lucky. Oscura didn't send a ton of people after Reprion..."

"Why are you helping us?" Takii asked, suddenly suspicious.

"This is our castle as well," Miranda turned to him and smiled. "Come on, they might need backup inside the castle. You guys stay here in case reinforcements come; I'll go in with Takii."

Miranda slipped into the castle, Takii trailing slowly behind her. "Hurry up, you're slowing me down."

"I thought you didn't want to see me again."

"Well I'll just have to overlook that fact for now. What's important is to protect the castle."

_And not the guys inside? _"...bitch."

"What was that?" Miranda stopped in her tracks and turned, glaring coldly at Takii.

"Nothing, nothing. Let's go," Takii brushed past the shorter girl to lead the way inside. He moved along with caution as he walked down the dimly lit hallways. Outside was quiet; it seemed like the situation was under control. Inside the castle was calm as well, but it bothered Takii. Where were the other Oscura members?

-

"Kiet! Kiet!"

The brown-haired Wizard snapped awake when he felt someone slapping his face again and again. "Teela?"

"You dummy!" The Priestess cried, suddenly flinging herself into his arms. "Why didn't you call for us sooner?!"

"Well, it was kind of a surprise attack, and I was a bit preoccupied with being knocked out," Kiet chuckled, awkwardly patting the Priestess who was latched onto him tightly. "Is Rya okay?"

"Shishkabob came with me and healed her, but I think they went off to the second tower," Teela sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

"You could've died!" A pool of tears began to form in Teela's eyes again. "And the last thing I did was give you a black eye!"

"Erm...it's okay, Teela," Kiet couldn't find any other words to comfort the crying Priestess.

Suddenly, the sound of a chorus of people repeatedly chanting "kiss her, kiss her" reached Kiet's ears. One minute he thought it really _was_ possible to have background music in real life, and the next minute he smacked himself mentally for thinking like Takii. He peered past the crumbled remains of the tower walls and saw a small group of people grinning up at him.

"Hey, you guys are back!" Kiet exclaimed, recognizing the freshly regrouped Oceanic Guild.

"If you guys are done your lovey dovey moment, you should get inside. There are still some Oscura members in the castle," The Blacksmith, now a Whitesmith, informed. "We got the entrance covered."

"Right," Kiet flushed, attempting to pry Teela off of him. "Teela, it's going to be okay. Let's go help the others inside."

Teela wiped away her tears and stood up, nodding, as Kiet led the way into the castle.

-

"Damn, you should've brought your Priest in," Takii winced from a new injury on his arm. On their way to the Emperium room, the two were ambushed by three Oscura members, and it didn't help that a few lights were blown out. One of the Assassins had been knocked out cold, but a remaining Assassin Cross and Lord Knight were still holding them back.

"Then they would've been helpless outside," Miranda growled, preparing for another spell. "_Quagmire_!"

A murky green smog rose before them. Takii prepared his attack, detecting a silhouette moving towards him.

"_Storm Gust_!" Miranda yelled. The Assassin Cross had burst from the smog, running into her icy storm.

"_Double Strafe_!" Takii sniped down the Lord Knight, who had escaped to the other side of the room. A cry of pain was heard as Takii hit his target. The Sniper drew his dagger as he ran past the lifting smog; his arrows had pinned the Lord Knight through his leg to the wall. The Lord Knight ripped the arrows painfully from his leg and drew his sword, dashing at Takii. Takii cleanly sidestepped the injured Lord Knight and dealt a hard punch to the side of his head, knocking him back. The Sniper panted, momentarily pausing; his brain began sending jolts of pain to his injured arm. The Lord Knight took the chance to retaliate, charging at the pained Sniper.

_Wham_! Miranda brought down her staff as hard as she could on the Lord Knight's head, knocking him out.

"That's the second time you've saved me," Takii forced a grin while he grasped his forearm.

"Aren't you useless?" She teased. The blonde rummaged through her pouch to find her potions. Miranda frowned; she only had a handful of herbs left for Takii's injury. They had to be extra careful in the upcoming battles. Without a word, she applied her last herbs to his wound before she stood up and turned around. "I'll go off first."

"No!" Takii pulled on the back of her cloak before she could leave. He noticed that she was limping. "You should rest a bit before blindly running into battle injured."

"It's just a scratch."

"As if!" Takii forcefully made the High Wizard sit on the ground, causing her to flinch. A long cut ran from her knee to her shin. "Well, it's not so deep, but it's hardly 'just a scratch'."

Takii poked around his knapsack to retrieve his last share of herbs and bandages. He had run out of white potions long ago. The High Wizard sat in silence while he bandaged up her cut. "So, it looks like we're both out of healing stuff. Way to live on the edge, huh?"

"Thank you."

Takii met her eyes, as she said the two words he never thought she would say. For once she seemed truly grateful to him, and it surprised him.

"...you're welcome," Takii managed to answer, after recovering from his initial shock. Both remained in their position on the floor without a sound, as if there was nothing that could break their moment of serenity within a bloodstained battleground.

"Takii!"

Kiet came running into the faintly lit room. He had no trouble spotting Takii's bright red hair sticking out from behind a counter. "What's going on?"

"We needed some rest," Takii answered promptly. Seeing her cue to step in, Teela rushed to their sides to heal their wounds completely. "I think the Emp. Room is under attack!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Takii was the first to barge into the Emperium Room. Upon entering, he tripped over his feet into a warm puddle. He looked down; it was a pool of blood. His eyes traveled slowly to the source. A fresh trail of blood led to a lifeless body, sprawled across the steps of the cold, stone stairs.

A life had been taken that night.


End file.
